Full Pundit: ‘Public education is not a buffet’

Full Pundit: 'Public education is not a buffet'

Schools gone wildThe Edmonton Journal’s David Staples tells an inspiring and frustrating story of another Edmonton teacher who is defying the asinine policy against assigning a mark of zero, even temporarily, for missed assignments. And unlike well-known rebel Lynden Dorval, who is approaching retirement, this teacher, Mike Tachynski, is 35 and has a lot to lose. Good for him, we say. What really infuriates us is the lack of trust inherent in the policy. Good teachers know that different kids are motivated in different ways, yet some perfectly logical methods are declared verboten according to the latest academic fads. Staples trenchantly notes that Tachynski “was nominated by his principal and science department head for the Alberta Excellence in Teaching Award. How can such a teacher now face discipline for his methods?” Good question. Then again, by modern standards, pretty much every teacher we ever had would be unemployable.

The Ottawa Citizen’s editorialists are all for accommodating various belief systems under the umbrella of public education. For example, they say “letting a few [parents] opt [their children] out should allow schools to deliver the kind of robust and progressive program on sexuality and diversity that is appropriate to 2012.” But they think the current push for advance parental notice for any mention of homosexuality or evolution or wizardry is simply impractical, and furthermore undesirable. “Public education is not a buffet,” they conclude. “At some point parents need to consider whether they desire a public education for their children at all.”

We agree with most of that, as do the Toronto Star’s editorialists. But we’ve never quite understood why sex education should be considered a special case in this regard. If it’s so vital that the curriculum be “robust,” then why let parents yank their kids out of health class but not, say, biology?

“If parents are going to choose to send their children to a public school, they must be prepared to make some concessions to what the education types refer to as an inclusive curriculum,” Marni Soupcoff writes in the National Post. But it’s “unfair,” she says, that those who choose to opt out are “still stuck footing the bill for public schools.” A “universal voucher system” would address both the inequity and the underlying problem, as Soupcoff says. Unfortunately, she is also correct that it isn’t going to happen — at least not in Ontario.

Divisive issues“Quebecers may be divided on language issues, but they all have something in common: They’re fundamentally moderate,” Lysiane Gagnon writes in TheGlobe and Mail. “There are now calls from all quarters for more understanding between the English- and French-speaking communities” — and as Premier, says Gagnon, Pauline Marois is going to have to grasp that nettle. What’s more, a Léger Marketing poll suggests three-quarters of Quebec francophones are eager to see that work get underway.

Justin Trudeau’s viability as a political leader is essentially unknowable, Dan Gardner argues in the Citizen. “Strictly in terms of experience and accomplishment, [he] is Sarah Palin minus the books, the vice-presidential candidacy and the governorship,” he writes. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t win and lead the Liberals out of their pit of shame; experience isn’t a prerequisite for such a job. But Gardner urges us to disregard pundits who extrapolate conclusions as to Trudeau’s suitability “from trivia,” such as “how he comported himself in a charity boxing match.” This, he says, “only underscore[s] the point that there is so little to judge him by.”

Duly notedFrom the West Coast, courtesy of the Vancouver Sun’s Vaughn Palmer, a classic tale of political incompetence: In a rush, the government passed legislation designed to crack down on public transit fare-evaders by tying unpaid fines to driver’s license and insurance renewal, and “by going after them with collection agencies and court actions.” Small problem: The legislation did not force fare-evaders to provide identification. Palmer quotes CKNW reporter Janet Brown: “It turns out if somebody refuses to provide identification after not producing proof of a transit fare, officers are required to allow that person to walk away without issuing a ticket.” But they’ll get it right this time, the minister vows. For reals.

The Star’s Carol Goar is pleased to see the Senate becoming a more diverse place under Stephen Harper. “No prime minister before him deviated this far from the tradition of packing the upper house with defeated and retired politicians, party bagmen, former aides, business leaders, sports icons and television personalities,” she effuses. “He has made the Senate less white than it has ever been.” Fine by us — but non-white Canadians can lick boots just as well as white ones. The Senate could easily become more diverse without becoming any more useful. Also: Jacques Demers.